‘I’ve made a fortune promoting my physique to AI – I do not care how they use it’

Mum Laura Shahu, 29, has a number of side hustles that she relies on to bring in a pretty penny – one of which includes selling her voice to AI. But, she’s got one word of warning

A savvy mum on maternity leave has cashed in by selling her voice to an AI firm – and she’s doesn’t care where it’s used after bagging £15,000 from her side hustles.

Laura Shahu, 29, from Surrey, has made an extra income from gigs on the side – like doing online surveys and giving chatbots a grilling to make sure they are performing correctly for brands.

In one month, the mum-of-two – who is an accountant – managed to bag a hefty £4,609 just from her side jobs. And now, she’s making more income from flogging her voice to an AI company.

Her voice is taking on a life of its own thanks to the advancement of the super computers of late. She has now revealed what it’s like offering your chords in exchange for cash.

Laura told NeedToKnow: “I do not have reservations as a voice is inherently harder to identify to a particular person than a photo or video.

“While I don’t know how exactly my voice will be used, I can take an educated guess based on the types of phrases I’m asked to record. I was asked to record phrases that you’d likely want to be able to ask your phone’s virtual assistant in the future.”

Despite growing concerns of the unregulated AI industry, and the unprecedented outcomes the supercomputers could have, Laura is not fussed about the potential consequences.

She said that she “typically” works with “reputable agencies” who provide her work from vetted AI companies. Laura added that she is comfortable with the data – her voice – she provides to companies.

The mum is aware that her voice is not intended to be used in wrong or seedy situations – but it’s a price she’s willing to pay for some extra cash. Laura is keeping the exact amount she earns for offering her chords to AI as a secret, although hinted it was within the hundreds and took merely three to four hours.

She even teased that she’d loan her face to artificial smarts if the price was right. She added: “I’d consider it but it would probably depend on what the AI wanted to do with my face. It’s an interesting idea though.”

This isn’t Laura’s first rodeo with AI side gigs. In her downtime, she also coaches bots, claiming it’s one of her top earners.

Laura explained that her job essentially involves reviewing AI chatbot responses and grading their accuracy.

She said: “I am a qualified accountant and therefore they also pay extra for me to train AI in maths and accounting. The pay for training AI varies quite a bit as you can do it as a generalist, with high school level skills, or a professional in something, which is what I do and that pays at the higher end.

“It’s somewhere from like £12 to £47.50 an hour depending on the type of work you want to do.”

The mum plans to keep up her side hustle when she gets back to work, but she has a word of caution for anyone eyeing AI gigs—do your homework first.

She advised: “Diversify your portfolio. The more side hustles you try, the easier it will be to figure out which ones work for you. Be open-minded to take on a challenge. It tends to be the niche and less well-known hustles that are the most rewarding.”